Crux of the Cross
by Crystal Dragon's Lament
Summary: When Crux wakes up in some ancient ruins on Angel Island he doesn’t overly care. No use crying over spilled milk. But when he finds a mysterious cross and two people who are drawn to him for reasons unknown, he may find...full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Crux of the Cross

**Rating: **T (for mild violence and mild language and safety)

**Genre: **Adventure

**Summary: **When Crux wakes up in some ancient ruins on Angel Island, he doesn't overly care. No use crying over spilt milk he says. But when he finds a mysterious cross and two people who are drawn to him for reasons unknown, for the first time in what feels like a long time he becomes slightly interested. Only slightly mind you. But perhaps the cross and the Chaos Emeralds are the keys to unlocking his hidden past.

**A/N: **I know, I know, I fail at summaries. Anyways, I've been sitting on this for a while now so I finally got around to writing it. In case no has noticed by now, I like wolves. Though that's beside the point. Anyways, thank you to my wonderful beautiful beta Cat Paws. God knows I need a beta lol. I can't catch my own stupid mistakes…though I'm fine with other peoples writing…anyways! I digress. Read and enjoy (and review lol)

_Chapter One_

When he awoke it was to utter silence and darkness. Perhaps there was no light where he was. Or perhaps he had gone blind. Yes, that was a distinct possibility. Oh, wait. His eyes were just closed.

He opened his eyes and dim light illuminated the room around him in muted tones. He lay on the floor in some musty old ruins. Other than that, he had no idea where he was. Come to think of it, he had no idea of anything. Sitting up, he tried to think of the last thing he remembered.

Nothing. He couldn't remember anything, only his name, which he remembered was Crux. Oh ya, and that he was a wolf. Apparently he had…that memory thing. The one where you couldn't remember stuff. What was it called again? Oh, yes. Amnesia.

Oh well. You couldn't miss something you didn't remember.

Crux stood up and took a better look around the room. The ruins were made entirely of stone. No surprise there. They were mostly brown with hints of yellow in them, but they appeared very old. Perhaps they were a different colour at one time. Carvings decorated the walls and there was a large set of stairs at one end of the room. Other than that, it was pretty bare.

Some light filtered through a small opening at the top of the stairs, leading outside. Perhaps if he went outside he would have a better idea of where he was, though he doubted it. He walked to the stairs anyways, his shoes clacking on the stone floor.

Halfway up the stairs he stopped. Something behind him was calling to him. He turned slowly and peered at the room again. From this position he could see an opening on the back wall with a set of stairs leading downwards.

He scratched with his claws behind one black and silver ear before going back down. Whatever was down those stairs was calling to him. Besides, it wasn't like he had anything better to do.

When he reached the stairs he paused and looked down them cautiously before venturing forth. It was a useless gesture. Everything beyond the doorway was pitch-black. The feeling was getting stronger however, so he continued down the stairs.

During his downward spiral, he lost track of time. He felt like he was walking forever though he knew it couldn't have been more than five minutes. The path changed directions every now and then and his face had met with a wall on more than one occasion, but he continued anyways. This could prove to be mildly interesting.

Without warning he emerged from the darkened staircase into a brightly lit room. His tail twitched slightly as his purple eyes adjusted to the light.

This room was much smaller than the previous and in far better condition. The stones in this room held a golden hue and were illuminated by fresh torches set in the wall. Well, they looked fresh but he didn't know how they could be. Judging from the dust build up no one had been there for years. The carvings and engravings on the walls could actually be read here, but they held no interest for Crux. He couldn't understand them anyway.

What did interest him though lay on the raised pedestal in the middle of the room. He couldn't see from where he stood but whatever lay there was calling to him.

Slowly he walked towards the pedestal, ascending the few steps leading up. He finally reached the pedestal and beheld what lay upon it. There was a ringing in his ears and the thrum of power. What he saw, though, wasn't what he had expected. Granted, he hadn't known what to expect, but still.

Upon the pedestal lay a silver cross and five silver rings with different engravings on each. He looked at them steadily for a minute before picking up the middle ring, the one directly above the cross. The design etched in it was odd and its meaning escaped him. He turned it over in his fingers a couple times then carefully placed it on the middle finger of his left hand. It was a perfect fit.

After that he donned the rest of the rings. The first on the pinky of his left hand, the second on the index finger of his right and so on. When he wore all of the rings he held up his clawed hands and looked at them. They all fit perfectly. Odd.

Finally, he picked up the cross. It was lighter than he expected. It also had designs etched into its surface and a purple stone set into the centre. He held it in the palm of his left hand. It could have been his imagination or a trick of the light, but he thought he saw silver strings connecting the cross to the rings on his hand, if only for a second. But what if they had been real?

Well, one way to test that theory. He didn't think the cross could be damaged from a drop that short. If it could…oh well.

He turned his hand over and dumped the cross on the ground. However, before it could fall too far, it stopped and hung beneath Crux's hand. Three barely visible threads of silver light connected the cross to the rings and kept it elevated. He turned his hand back over and the cross began to float above his hand. Well. This was interesting. Actually, it was the first interesting thing that had happened since he had awakened.

He lifted his right hand and transferred the cross from one to the other using the threads of energy. When he was done playing around with the cross he held it in his left hand, unsure of what to do with it. He swung it back and forth beneath his hand absent-mindedly as he stared off into space. He heard a click and looked down at the underside of the wristband on his left hand and found the cross attached there. Huh.

Come to think of it, whose cross was this? Did it belong to some religion or maybe it represented an ancient deity or something else entirely. Perhaps it would be worth something to figure out more about it. He looked around the room for some clues to the cross but nothing jumped out at him. His gaze passed over the glyphs on the wall but turned away seeing as he still could not read them.

Well, now that he had found what was calling him and gleaned all he could from the ruins it was time to leave. He walked up the dark stairs, but this time the cross glowed to light his way. He passed through the room he had awoken in and climbed the stairs to the outside world.

Outside there were plenty of lush trees and fallen stones from the crumbling building. They were almost completely blocking the entrance and if he hadn't already been inside he would have thought them inaccessible. He still had no idea where he was but that didn't bother him. He was somewhere, which meant he was alive, which was all that mattered.

He wandered for a bit more before emerging from the trees. A short distance away the ground dropped away in a cliff. When he walked to the edge and peered down, he realized that 'cliff' hadn't been quite accurate. Below him was ground. Far, far below. He seemed to be on a floating island. Well that was different.

He turned around to walk to the other side of the island and met with a fist, which connected squarely to his face with incredible force. He briefly saw a red being before he went tumbling off the edge of the island, followed down by a gruff voice.

"That's what you get for trespassing on my island!"

Now Crux was falling. Not your typical sensation, mind you. Slightly exhilarating at first, then kind of boring. All there was now was waiting, and he didn't like waiting. That was the boring part.

Then he noticed something different. His downwards pace began to lessen, there was a slight pressure against his chest and under his arms and he was soon upright. There was a flapping sound coming from close behind him.

Turning his head to look over his shoulder Crux saw that he was being carried by someone with white feathers. Well this was a turn of events.

The white-feathered bird set him down safely on the floating island once again. The sight that met him though wasn't the one he had left. The one who had punched him, a red echidna, was struggling against a purple female dragon who was restraining him from behind.

"Unhand me!" he was yelling. "And what are you doing on my island?!" Off to the side a blue hedgehog was sighing with one hand on his head while a young yellow two tailed fox looked around, unsure of what to do.

"Would you cool it, echidna?" growled the dragon. "We don't want anything with your stupid island. We're just here 'cuz something's telling us we should be!"

"Hey, Knuckle-head," the blue hedgehog called. "Why don't you calm down so we can listen to these guys?"

Crux heard a fluttering sound beside him and the soft tap of feet landing on the ground. He turned to the side and saw a white dove, the one who had caught him, land beside him.

"Oh, boy," he mumbled. "This is becoming something I hadn't quite expected." The echidna stopped struggling though and the dragon released him with a grunt of dissatisfaction. The hedgehog walked forwards, followed by the fox.

"How 'bout we start with introductions?" he suggested. "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog! This," he said, nodding at the fox, "is Tails."

"Hi!" Tails chirped.

"And that's Knuckles. He's the guardian of Angel Island so he gets a bit hot-headed when other people come here."

Oh, so that's where he was. Angel Island. Though as far as he knew he had never heard of or been to this place before. Of course his memory couldn't be trusted right now.

"Hmph. I'm Syria the Dragon, and don't ask me why I'm here. I just felt like I should be." Using her great bat-like wings she flew up to the upper reaches of a tree and sat there looking irritated. Sonic turned to the dove next, who smiled happily.

"I'm Poe the Dove and I believe my reason for being here is the same as Syria's. Though I think I may know the cause."

"Well then? What is it?" Knuckles growled.

"You!" he said turning to Crux. Well that was unexpected.

Apparently Syria had been listening. She glided down and landed in front of Crux and looked him up and down intently. "Hmm." She walked around him, inspecting him. "You may be right. Who are you?"

"My name is Crux," he said simply.

"What are you doing on Angel Island, Crux?" Tails asked.

"Dunno." Crux was growing bored again.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Knuckles demanded.

"I don't know," he repeated. "I just woke up here."

"Huh?" Knuckles seemed confused by this.

"Where were you before you woke up?" Sonic asked.

"Dunno," he sight. Crux was now officially bored.

"You mean you have no memory?" Poe asked. He sounded concerned.

"That would be correct." Knuckles seemed to calm down now. Maybe this Crux wasn't as suspicious as he first seemed. Or maybe he was more suspicious.

"So nothing around here seems familiar to you?" Tails inquired.

Crux was about to reply, but he remembered the cross now attached to his wrist. He held up his wrist and looked at the cross. It had been calling to him, so perhaps it was connected to his past. Unfortunately Knuckles saw the cross as well.

"Hey! Where did you get that?!" he yelled.

"In the ruins," he stated calmly. He saw no reason why he shouldn't have taken it so he had nothing to hide.

"I didn't know there was anything like that here." Sonic sounded impressed.

Knuckles paused for a moment. "Actually, I didn't either." He shook his head. "That doesn't matter! It belongs here on Angel Island. Now return it." He held out one spiked hand, waiting for Crux to hand over the cross.

Flicking his wrist, Crux released the cross from his wristband. He turned his hand over where it floated in the air. Instead of handing it over to Knuckles he stared at it again. Every time he used the cross, he was more intrigued by it.

He didn't notice everyone staring at him. "It _is_ you," Syria half-whispered.

"Hmm?" The cross attached itself to his wristband again.

Syria's voice had lost its disdain. "Ever since last night I've had this feeling that I should be somewhere."

"So have I," Poe added. "This morning the feeling was so strong that I, I mean we," he corrected himself, glancing at Syria, "could no longer ignore it."

"I had never met Poe before the island," Syria said. "And now I find out we seem to be here for the same reason."

"Do you know me?" Crux asked.

"Never heard of ya before," Syria stated. Well there went that idea. Oh well. No use crying over spilt milk.

"What are you going to do now? Try to restore your memory?" Sonic asked.

"Perhaps," Crux answered. "Though frankly that doesn't hold too much interest for me."

"Really?" Tails sounded very confused. "Don't you want to know who you are?"

"Not especially," he replied with a shrug. "I am Crux of the Cross. Not much else matters beyond that." Now why had he called himself that? He hadn't thought of calling himself that before. It just sort of popped out. He glanced down at the cross on his left wrist. Perhaps it was because it interested him. Since awakening nothing had held his interest except the cross and he had a feeling that even before he lost his memory nothing could interest him for long. It was a mystery while all other questions had been answered. It was unpredictable, and he liked that. Predictability was boring. He wanted to find out more about this mysterious cross.

"Yes," he said, mostly to himself. "I am Crux of the Cross."

"Then I shall be Poe of the Cross." Somewhat confused Crux turned and looked quizzically at the smiling dove.

"And I shall be Syria of the Cross." He turned to the dragon. Her too? These people were weird.

"Well I've made up my mind!"

"Huh?" Everyone said at once as they turned to Sonic.

What do yo mean?" Crux asked. He had an odd feeling about this.

"You seem to be a nice guy, Crux. So I'm going to help you get your memory back!"

"Hey! Great idea Sonic!" Tails agreed. Knuckles huffed but didn't argue.

Hoo boy. He hadn't expected that, though he couldn't say it was completely unexpected. Sonic seemed like that type of person and Tails seemed like he would follow Sonic anywhere. Knuckles, well, he seemed quite brash but still friends with Sonic none the less. And the other two, well it looked like they might stick with him. As for himself, he was going to find out more about the cross. Crux looked over at the dove and the dragon. Poe smiled happily while Syria more or less smirked.

Sonic winked and hooked a thumb behind him, indicating Tails' plane, the Tornado.

Crux sight and walked towards the plane. "Do as you wish."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: _I would have had this out so much sooner but I lost it. Half the time I write my chapters out by hand first, kinda like a rough draft. Of course, before I could type it out, it dispersed. It has come back from the dead though and is now out for your reading pleasure.

_Chapter Two_

"Remind me again of what we are doing" Crux asked of Sonic.

"We're helping you get your memory back!" Sonic replied feistily.

"Right. And what does this have to do with anything?"

"Nothing!"

"Uh-huh…" Crux leaned to the left slightly as a metallic fist flew past his ear, propelled forwards by a small jet-like contraption where the wrist should have been.

"Dammit, you stupid hedgehog!" Syria yelled at Sonic. "Why are we being attacked by a hoard of robots?!" She slashed at a nearby robot, her claws imbued with Dragon Thunder.

"No idea!" Sonic called back. "I guess Eggman is up to his old games again." The group was surrounded by Eggman robots. They attacked from every direction with projectile missiles, flying fists, metallic lances and an assortment of other weapons. Syria attacked with claws, fangs and a breath weapon of Dragon Thunder. Crux stood in the centre of it all, doing nothing. His level of boredom was reaching a critical point. If he didn't find something to do soon he would fall asleep and never wake up for lack of something better to do.

Poe had surprised him though, so he guessed it wasn't completely boring. He hadn't suspected the dove to be a fighter but there he was, dashing about the battle field firing projectile feathers at his enemies. Crux wasn't going to ask where the feathers were coming from; he was just interested in the fact that they did.

"Would this have gone any faster if that stubborn echidna had decided to join us?" Crux mused, more or less to himself, but Sonic answered.

"Maybe, but he does his own thing."

"I see…"

"Besides, I can finish this up any time I want. I'm just enjoying the exercise."

Crux rolled his eyes. "I grow weary of this," he said, tone flat. "I would greatly appreciate it if we could hurry this along."

"Yeah, probably a good idea," Sonic agreed. "Besides, it's about time we figure out what Eggman's up to." Disposing of the nearest robot, Sonic dashed around the field, destroying robots left, right and centre, their metallic body parts littering the ground. It took but a moment to destroy over two thirds of their number.

Crux's eyes followed Sonic's movements, mildly impressed. He guessed that was why he was called the Blue Blur. _Wait, how did I know that?_ He shrugged it off. He must have heard it recently.

The five of them – Crux, Syria, Poe, Sonic and Tails – gathered together amidst the wreckage while the remaining Eggman robots hesitated.

"What do we do now?" Syria asked. Despite her exertion she wasn't at all out of breath.

"Give them a minute," Sonic said confidently. "Since they're so far out Eggman will recall them. Then we just follow them to wherever Eggman is."

"Will he fall for that?" Poe asked. In way of answer, Sonic gestured to the robots. The lead robots eyes were now flashing red and all the other robots had their attention riveted on it.

The lead robot immediately turned around and, for lack of a better description, fled for the hills. The other robots followed suit.

"And now, we follow." Syria groaned; more flying. Tails, Sonic and Crux pile into the Tornado quickly and flew off after the retreating robots. Syria and Poe flew along side the plane.

As high in the sky as they were, the robots did not notice that they were following them. They flew for quite some time, adjusting their altitude every now and then to keep them out of the clouds. Every now and then Poe or Syria would take a break by sitting on the top of the Tornado and resting for a while. While the plane was large and sturdy, it couldn't hold all of their weight at once. It had originally been designed to only hold three people. As the sun began to set, Eggmans base came into sight.

"So that's it eh?" Syria asked from atop the Tornado, arms crossed.

"Looks like it is," Sonic replied with a nod, his face now serious.

"I guess he's _still_ going for the Eggman Land thing," Tails sighed.

"Eggman Land?" Crux asked.

"I've heard of it," said Poe from outside. "It's his empire, right? In the form of a theme park."

"Yep," Sonic agreed.

"Che," Syria huffed from above. "Childish."

"Maybe," Tails conceded. "But he's really quite knowledgeable."

"About some things," Sonic cut in with a smirk.

Tails smiled before continuing. "His robots can be very strong and his fortresses elaborate.

"But don't worry," Sonic said. "We've never had any problems taking him down before."

_Right,_ thought Crux. However, he may think that but he wasn't worried in the slightest.

They circled over the large 'theme park' once before a small section of the roof opened up.

"Hey, I think it's opening for us!" Poe chimed.

Tails leaned forwards in his seat, peering at what was emerging from the opening. "I don't think so," she said distractedly. "I think that's –" He jerked back in his seat as the cannon that had now fully emerged shot a large beam at them.

"A cannon!" Poe cried.

Thankfully Tails had realized what was happening early enough and managed to just get out of the line of fire.

"Looks like he won't make this easy," Sonic said with a rueful grin.

"~Ho ho ho!~" Eggmans voice poured out of the loud speakers. "~Greetings, Sonic and friends! Welcome to Eggman Land! My vision of an empire will finally be realized! Ho ho ho~" Eggman continued with his pointless monologue and Sonic sighed.

"Some things never change." The five companions made an easy descent to a landing close to the entrance.

Syria looked in amazement at the loud speaker as Eggman continued to talk, then glanced over at Sonic. "Does he always do this?" she asked in amazement.

"Pretty much," he sighed.

"Wow. Egotistical much?" Poe chuckled at Syria's comment.

Together, the five companions walked casually through the entrance. All were slightly amazed that they were going unopposed, though you wouldn't hear them complaining; the less fighting the better. They were approximately half-way to what they suspected to be the control tower, where Eggman would supposedly be, when they met with an unexpected obstacle.

A large – a very, very large – robot ascended from the floor on a platform before them. What surprised Sonic the most though was that the giant robot didn't resemble some form of animal; Eggman's main robots usually did.

A slow smile spread across Syria's face, exposing her sharp fangs. "This is going to be fun."

"Ho ho ho!" Eggman laughed again. _Can he start his thoughts any other way?_ Crux thought. "And now that you're here," he said, apparently continuing on from his unheeded monologue, "it's time for the finale!"

"Bring it on, Eggman!" Sonic shouted back. Crux rolled his eyes. He could already see how this would end. Eggman was obviously going to lose this fight, once again underestimating Sonic and overestimating himself. It did not help that Syria would likely be fighting as well.

He sighed. _Such is the way of the world; one predictability after another._

Sonic rushed the robot as Syria took to the air, her Dragon Thunder at the ready. Crux glanced to the side and saw Poe and Tails standing with him. Neither seemed worried; Tails probably knew that Sonic and Syria could easily handle Eggman and he guessed Poe suspected the same.

He looked slowly with little interest back to the fight and noticed something about the robot he hadn't seen before. In its chest at what he expected was its power source, something was glowing. His ears twitched as that something began to call to him, though there was no actual sound. The cross on his wrist began to feel warm, as did the five rings. He looked down at the cross but for its temperature, it had not changed.

Crux heard a grunt and saw Syria land heavily beside him. Sonic, on the other hand, landed nimbly on his other side.

"Stupid robot," Syria mumbled.

"This one's stronger than his other ones," Sonic confirmed. "I wonder what makes him so powerful?"

"There is something in its chest," Crux said suddenly. "It is glowing and giving off a powerful aura."

Sonic looked at the black and silver wolf in confusion. Crux just blinked at him. Couldn't he see the glowing spot as well? No, perhaps he couldn't. The object had the same feel as the cross, though somewhat different, so maybe it was only for him.

Syria and Sonic exchanged a look and then shrugged, figuring that maybe Crux had been hit on the head when they had not been looking. That matter settled, they returned to fighting Eggman's robot, leaving Crux, Poe and Tails on the sidelines again.

"You said you can see something in the robot?" Poe asked.

"Yes," Crux replied, his eyes on the robot still. "I think it is what is making the robot so powerful."

"Do you know what it is?" Tails piped up.

Crux shook his head. "No." After a moment he added "I think I shall go get it though."

Without much else in the way of explanation, Crux ran forwards into the fray. He didn't have much of an idea of what he was doing, but his instincts were sharp and he trusted them to guide him.

As he approached the robot he flicked his left wrist, releasing the cross to hang beneath his hand. The silver metal shone now, though the light wasn't pure. When he was still a distance off, he leapt into the air, the light of the cross reflected in his determined violet eyes. Not knowing what would happen, but knowing it would work, he slashed at the robot with his left hand, the cross still attached.

Sonic and Syria both looked on in amazement as the cross, following its wielders motions, split into four giant silver claws and tore through the robot like it was made of tin foil. The violet jewel that had been imbedded in the centre of the cross now floated inches from Crux's hand.

Landing softly on his feet, Crux looked down at the cross, once again whole, that floated above his upturned hand. Somehow he had known, subconsciously, that the cross would react the way it had. Deciding to test it out, he willed the cross to move fluidly as he moved it back and forth between his hands. Not surprisingly, the cross obeyed, turning into near-liquid silver with the violet jewel still at its centre.

With a shrug, Crux returned the cross to normal and walked to the heap of scrap metal that had formerly been a large robot. They glowing object was now exposed, completely unscathed.

Sonic looked at the object in understanding. "It's a Chaos Emerald," he said. "That explains why that robot was so strong."

"But where did he get his hands on it?" Tails wondered.

Crux ignored them. It didn't matter what it was. He just wished to answer its call.

Suddenly Poe and Syria were beside him and both seemed as tense as he.

"I feel its call as well," Poe whispered. "But it does not call for me; it calls for you."

"You are meant to have it. At the very least, hold it. Maybe it will help you with your memory," Syria suggested.

Crux, knowing they were right, stooped to pick up the Chaos Emerald. As his fingers closed around the gem he was filled with a sense of familiarity. Something in the Chaos Emerald resonated with the cross and suddenly he realized that he knew more about the cross then he thought. He knew that the cross he wore on his wrist was older than the emeralds. He also knew that he could completely control the cross, that now that he wore it and the rings it was linked to his will. The last thing that he remembered was that there was more to the cross, something to do with the rings, but he couldn't recall specifics.

"No!" Crux looked up to find Eggman in an escape pod. "Let go of my Chaos Emerald!" Crux looked down at the red gem, a comforting weight in his hand.

Sonic, now over his shock, looked up at Eggman with a smirk on his face. "Just try it, Eggman!"

"Why you…!" Crux could almost see Eggman steaming in his escape capsule.

"Now what does this do?" Everyone turned to Poe who had wandered a ways off and now stood by what appeared to be a control panel.

"No! Don't touch that!" Eggmans voice now held a hint of panic.

"Oh?" Poe said with all the innocence of a baby lamb. "You mean I shouldn't do this?" and he reached over and pressed the big red button.

"_~Self destruct system activated,~"_ the electronic voice announced through the many speakers. _"~Destruction will occur in five minutes.~"_

"Oh no!" Poe cried in mock fear. He swiped a hand at the control box, as if fearing it might attack him or that doing so would reverse what he had done. Instead, he shattered the box, preventing anyone from overriding the self destruct command.

"Gah!" Eggman yelled in frustration. "I'll get you for this, Sonic!" he threatened as his escape pod began to retreat.

"Smell ya later, Eggman!" Sonic called after him. He began to chuckle ruefully.

"Umm…" Tails hesitated behind them. "Shouldn't we leave before Eggman Land blows up?"

Sonic fell silent and turned towards his friend. "Good point. Okay guys, let's get out of here!"

After everyone had piled into the Tornado they were soaring safely away. They stopped a ways out, however, to rest and watch the spectacle from a nearby rocky outcropping. It didn't take long. Shortly after they landed, the first of the five explosions started, each located at a critical point. Soon the explosions fused together to create one massive fireball which engulfed Eggman Land, thoroughly destroying it.

Crux stood apart form the rest, somewhat bored. Explosions were only fun if something interfered, in which case something unpredictable would happen. However, this one fell under the category of 'predictable'.

Suddenly a shadow fell over Crux and he turned around to see the sun blocked by a black hedgehog. The others, noticing Crux's change in focus, turned as well.

Sonic, recognizing the newcomer, greeted him. "Hey, Shadow. What're you doing here?" Even though he asked the question, he could already guess the reason.

Shadow spared Sonic only a fleeting glance before he turned his red eyes back to Crux. "I require the Chaos Emerald," he said. It was as close to a request as Shadow was going to get.

Crux stared at him for a moment before returning his gaze to the Chaos Emerald still in his hand.

"As do I," he responded finally. "So I believe I shall have to deny you your request."

Shadow's eyes narrowed dangerously. "It was not a request."

Crux did not react to Shadow's threat. "My answer remains the same."

"If that is the case, then I shall take it by force."

"So be it." Crux prepared himself for the fight to come. He realized, suddenly, that he could grow to like this black hedgehog. It would be a pity to defeat him utterly with his cross.


End file.
